Take-up device for wire-fence machines.



No. 807,652. PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905.

A. I. BACKLIN & I. EKLUND. TAKE-UP DEVICE FOR WIRE FENCE MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21, 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W 55 e: JYMWUFQTJ- M QM/ai; I v w wv kwd No. 807,652. PATENTBD DEC. 19, 1905. A. F. BACKLIN & I. EKLUND. TAKE-UP DEVICE FOR WIRE FENCE MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21, 1905.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

No. 807,652. PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905. A. F. BACKLIN & I. EKLUND.

TAKE-UP DEVICE FOR WIRE FENCE MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21, 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHBET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AXEL F. BAOKLIN' AND IDOFF EKLUND, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHU- SETTS, ASSIGNORS TO THE AMERICAN STEEL & WIRE COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY, OF VVOROESTER,

OF NEW JERSEY.

MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION v TAKE-UP DEVICE FOR WIRE-FENCE MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

Application fil d August 21, 1905. Serial No. 275,005.

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, AXEL F. BACKLIN and IDOFF EKLUND, citizens of the United States, residing at Worcester, county of Worcester,

State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Take-Up Devices for Wire -Fence Machines; and we do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description'of the invention, such as v to will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of take-up mechanism for wire-fence machines. In certain I5 apparatus of this general character heretofore devised there is interposed between the winding-drum and the coilers a series of feedingrolls which pull the fabric through the machine and keep it under the necessary tension while it is being wound upon the windingdrum. In certain other apparatus there is provided a special construction of feed-roll which is continuously operated in contradistinction from the intermittent operation of the feed-rolls in the former machines, and in order to produce the necessary intermittent movement of the strand-wires through the coiling and crimping mechanisms of the machine there is interposed between said feed-rolls and 0 the coilers a certain construction of oscillating take-up device, consisting, essentially, of a roll mounted between two swinging levers, which are connected to a crank or eccentric driven from a constantly-rotating shaft deriving power from the main shaft of the machine, said-roll being caused to vibrate or oscillate across the line of movement of the fence fabric by the operation of said crank or eccentric. Certain difliculties and objections have arisen in connection with this type of take-up device, founded principally upon the fact that the take-up roll or drum in its vibratory motion does not travel at a constant speed, for the reason that during one part of the stroke of the crank which actuates the drum or roll the movementis faster than during the other part of the stroke. It has also been found difficult with this particular type of take-up device to obtain suflicient length 5 of movement of the take-up roll to provide for a space of, say, twenty-four (24) inches between the stay-wires,or, in other words, to

permit the proper adjustment of the stroke of the take-up roll to permit the machine to turn out fencing having the distances between the stay-wires varying from the minimum of, say, six (6) inches to the maximum above noted. These difficulties are overcome by the present invention, which contemplates the provision ofatake-up located between the coilers and the feed-roll, comprising a rotatory crank-shaft connected with the main drive-shaft of the machine, slides operatively connected with said crank-shaft and receiving rectilinear motion therefrom,and a roll mounted in said slides and adapted to be moved therewith transversely of the line of movement of the fabric, together with means for adjusting the connection between said slides and the crank-shaft to vary the throw of said slides and the connected take-up roll, so that the latter will form a loop or bight on the fencing as it comes from the coilers, to provide an extra length of fabric, stored up between the coilers and the feed-roll, sufficient to allow the roll to be driven continuously, irrespective of the intermittent movement of the strand-wires through the coilers. As the length of the loop or bight formed by the take-up will be directly proportional to the movement of the take-up roll, it will be seen that by varying this movement the length of wire stored up between the coilers and the feed-roll may be correspondingly varied, so that the stay-wires may be introduced at any intervals desired.

In'the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse section through the front end of a wire-fence machine, showing the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the take-up device. Fig. 4 is a plan view of one of the adjustable cranks. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the same.

Referring to the drawings, (0 indicates the framework of the machine, which, it will be understood, comprises the usual top and bottogi plates connected by appropriate standar s.

b 0 indicate two fixed guide-rolls located between the coiler mechanism and the crimping-rolls s s, which guide-rolls serve not only to direct the fencing from the coilers to the crimping-rolls, but also constitute abutments between which the fencing is stretched by the take-up roll as the latter is moved across the path of movement of the fabric. This takeup device, which constitutes the basis of the present invention, comprises a roll or drum (Z, which is vibrated in a rectilinear path substantially normal to that of the fabric, so that a portion of the latter is drawn inward between the guide-rolls b 0 during the intervals when the coilers are operating. Said roll (Z is removably mounted upon a shaft 6, which is journaled in slides ff, engaging suitable guideways g g. supported on the top and bottom plates, respectively, of the machineframe. Each of said slides ff consists of a forwardly-extending arm, in which the shaft 6 is journaled, the respective arms being connected by a distance-piece h, located between the ends thereof, and stay-rods f are connected to said arms on either side thereof and at points intermediate the ends. The opposite ends of the slides are provided with T- heads c' i, respectively, which engage guides y'y' and respectively. The T-heads are provided with transverse slots, which serve as guides for cross-heads Z", respectively, each of said cross-heads being engaged by a crank on the vertical drive-shaft, which shaft consists of an intermediate section Z, journaled in brackets m m, and two end sections Z Z journaled in the upper and'lower portions of the machine-frame. It will thus be seen that as the shaft is rotated the cran pins 17 and p, which engage with the slides f and f, respectively, through the crosshead and slot connections with said slides, cause the latter to be reciprocated with a substantially uniform movement. The crankshaft is provided at its upper end with a bevel-pinion c, which meshes with a bevelgear '21, mounted upon a counter-shaft a, journaled on the top plate and driven through suitable gearing from the main drive-shaft a of the machine.

In order to regulate the movement of the take-up roll, so that the latter will draw in and store up just sufficient lengths of the fence fabric to permit the stay-wires to be inserted at proper intervalssay from siX inches apart to twenty-four inches apart, as the case may be-the cranks which connect the take-up-rollsupporting slidesfandf with the drive-shaft are adjusted with respect to said shaft, so that the throw of said cranks may be accurately regulated to accomplish the purpose desired. This adjustment of the cranks may be effected by any suitable means; but a simple and convenient way of accomplishing this is illustrated in the drawings, and more particularly in Figs. 1, A, and 5. As both crank adjustments are identical, but one of them will be described. Referring to the upper crank mechanism, at and 0 indicate two cranks attached to the upper shaft-section Z and the intermediate section Z, respectively, and havor shoes 9 is provided with a series of sockets along the respective longitudinal edges thereof, which are adapted to receive the ends of set-screws 7, which pass through the sides of the cranks n and 0 and serve to lock the crankpin to the cranks in any position to which said pin may have been adjusted. By loosening up the set-screws r the crank-pin may be quicklyadjusted for any desired throw, and by setting up said screws the pin will be rigidly held in adjusted position, whereby upon rotation of the drive-shaft the take-up roll 61 will be reciprocated in a rectilinear path equal to the diameter of the circle traversed by the crank-pin. It is to be understood, of course, that both of the crank-pins p and p are to be accurately adjusted to the same throw, so as to insure the take-up roll of being retained in its proper vertical position.

The operation of the device as hereinbefore described is substantially as follows: As the fencing leaves the coilers after the latter have ceased their operation it is drawn over the guide-rolls b 0 through the crimping-rolls s s and thence to the feed-roll t, which is continuously rotated by means of the belt-pulley t, as will be understood by reference to the patent to Bates and Cooker hereinbefore referred to. At this period of the operation the various parts of the mechanism occupy the relative positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings and the fabric is drawn straight away from the coilers through the crimpingrolls. At this juncture it is necessary to move the whole fabric forward a distance equal to the space between the stay-wires, and for this purpose the rotation of the crank-shaft is so timed with respect to the coilers that it begins to move'the slides f and f and the takeup roll (Z transverse to the path of movement of the fabric as soon as the strand wires are free to be pulled through the coilers, and the continued movement of the roll pulls the fabric forward at a rate of speed substantially double that of the feed-roll t. This causes a deflection of the fencing between the guide-rolls b and 0, thereby storing up the necessary surplus length until the reverse movement of the slides f and f and the take up roll cl permits the slack of the fabric to be taken up by the feed-roll t. The return movement of the roll at of course occurs when the coilers are brought into operation and at a time when the strand-wires cannot be drawn through said coilers, thereby permitting the feed-roll to revolve at a continuous rate of speed and maintain the necessary tension on the strand-wires, even though the coilers are operated intermittently. It will be apparent,

of course, that the length of fencing intermittently stored up and released by the take-up roll cl must be varied in accordance with the distance between the stay-wires. This variation is accomplished by changing the distance.

traveled by the take-up roll cl, which, as hereinbefore explained, is dependent upon the throw of the crank-pins and p, which are accurately adjusted by sliding them backward and forward, as the case may be, in the guidegrooves in the faces of the cranks n 0 and n 0 and locking them in such position by the setscrews 7*. By properly spacing the sockets in the sides of the slides q q, connected to the crank-pins and cooperating with the guidegrooves in said crank-faces, the adjustment of the cranks to effect the proper movement of the take-up roll cl to space the stay-wires can be gaged by the holes in the crank without the delay incident to accurately measuring the throw of the take-up roll necessary to a given space between stay-wires. As illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, the crank-pins are capable of several adjustments to permit of the production of as many different spacings of the stay-wires, and in Fig. 2 the dotted lines indicate the position assumed by the fence fabric between the guide-rolls Z) and c for two adjustments of the take-up roll or two different spaces of said stay-wires. As soon as the coilers resume their operation the roll d begins its outward movement, and the bight of the fencing which has been stored up between the guide-rolls b and c is drawn out through the crimping-rolls s s by the feedroll 6, upon which the fencing is wound continuously, this operation being repeated successively, so that there is no interruption in the operation of the feed-roll t, and the storing up of the surplus wire to permit this continuous operation is effected smoothly and regularly by the uniform reciprocatory motion of the take-up roll d.

It is to be particularly noted that the takeup device as hereinbefore described is simple in construction and operation, is quite compact, and is especially adapted for heavy fencing, as all parts of'the mechanism em ployed in transmitting motion are very rigid and durable and capable of rapid change or adjustment to vary the stroke'or movement of the take-up roll, while preserving its uniform motion.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a wire-fence machine having a continuously-operating feed-roll and intermittently-operating coilers, a take-up located between the coilers and the feed-roll, comprising a rotatory shaft connected with the main drive-shaft of the machine, slides operatively connected with said crank-shaft and receiving rectilinear motion therefrom,and a roll mounted in said slides and moving therewith transversely of the direction of the fence fabric.

2. In a wire-fence machine having a continuously-operating feed-roll and intermittently-operating coilers, a take-up located between the coilers and the feed-roll, comprising a rotatory shaft connected with the main drive-shaft of the machine, slides operatively connected with said crank-shaft and receiving rectilinear motion therefrom, a roll mounted in said slides and moving therewith transversely of the direction of the fence fabric, and means for adjusting the connections between said slides and the shaft to vary the extent of movement of the slides and roll to compensate for different distances between stay-wires.

3. In a wire-fence machine having a continuously-operating feed-roll and intermit tently-operating coilers, a take-up located between the coilers and the feed-roll, comprising a rotatory crank-shaft driven from the main shaft of the machine, slides operatively connected with said crank-shaft and receiving rectilinear motion therefrom, a roll mounted in said slides and moving therewith transversely to the direction of the fence fabric,

and means for adjusting the throw of the crank to compensate for different distances between the stay-wires.

4. In a wire-fence machine having a continuously-operating feed-roll and intermittently-operating coilers, a take-up located between the coilers and the feed-roll, comprising a rotatory crank-shaft driven from the main shaft of the machine, slides operatively connected with said crank-shaft and receiving rectilinear motion therefrom, a roll mounted in said slides and moving therewith transversely to the direction of the fence fabric, and crank-pins adjustably mounted in said crank-shaft to vary the rectilinear movement of the roll to compensate for different distances between stay-wires.

5. In a wire-fence machine having a continuously --operating feed-roll and intermittently-operating coilers, a take-up located between the coilers and the feed-roll, comprising a rotatory shaft having crank-pins adjustably mounted therein, slides mounted in guides on the machine-frame and operatively connected with the cranks of said shaft and receiving rectilinear motion therefrom, and a take-up roll mounted in said slides and moving therewith transversely to the direction of v the fence fabric, through'distances regulable by the throw of the adjustable crank-pins.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

AXEL F. BACKLIN.

IDOFF EKLUND.

Witnesses:

WM. A. BACON, CHAs. M. BOOTH. 

